The present invention relates to a generally C-shaped or elliptical shape suture clip, an appliance for utilizing the clip and a method therefor.
In minimally invasive surgery, for example, laparoscopic surgery, one of the more difficult, tedious and repetitive procedures involves the tying of knots on suture thread at a distance. Typically, tying of suture knots is done with two legs of the suture thread protruding from a proximal end of a cannula or tube. The inside diameter of a typical cannula ranges from 5 mm to 10 mm. Each throw of the suture knot (usually the knot requires four or five throws) is placed on the thread outside the cannula (outside the body of the patient) and the knot is pushed to its destination through the cannula with a tool commonly called a "knot pusher." Ultimately, the suture knot is tightened on or near the sutured organ, vessel or tissue at the surgical site.
The present invention replaces the need for tying knots on suture thread (and hence the need to utilize knot pushers) during surgical procedures (whether minimally invasive procedures or other types of surgical procedures).